: hello, i have used this forum numerous times about this subject. my little guy petey will be 8 months old nov 26th ... he is totally house-trained and sleeps through the night most nights w/o a potty break ... but he consistantly 'goes' in his crate during the hours i am gone during the day ... i have tried everything from cleaning his crate with natures miracle, changing the padding he is on during the day, coming home at lunch to let him out ... but it never fails - he still has an accident whether it is #1 or #2 in his crate everyday when i get home from work ... i feed him in the a.m. and he 'goes' and then again at dinner time ... he eliminates following his feedings ... i am soo frustrated with this and do not know what else to do ... and, yes i have taken him to the vet and there is no med problems ... he is fed purina puppy chow - no soft food at all - ... please help!! i was thinking about just feeding him 1x a day but am not sure if he is still too young for a 1x feeding ... please give me any suggestions you may have ... thank you so much in advance!! :)

Response:

Hi Stephanie,

It can be very frustrating when you try everything and things still don't go well.

You know what I would first try is a switch in foods to a high quality kibble. While Purina is a nice company, most of the super market brands are loaded with fiber. And you know what happens when one eats a lot of fiber. It causes you to go to the bathroom more.

So go to a pet specialty store and get something like Innova or Eukanuba, California Natural, Fromm's, and there are a host of others that offer better nutrition for Petey. Take a week to gradually switch him over to the new food. Feeding a high quality kibble will keep Petey's stools firmer and he shouldn't have to eliminate as much as he does with a food full of fillers.

Also discuss with your vet (a phone call should be sufficient) the possibility of rationing water until Petey can be trustworthy.

BTW, I feed my dog's twice a day even as adults. Feeding twice a day lessens the possibility of bloat and can actually help your dog stay trim.